Name: Duck Breast with Orange Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 150 g duck breast; salt; black pepper; 0.75 pcs oranges; 50 ml orange juice; 37.5 ml poultry stock; 7.5 g sugar; 0.5 tablespoon wine vinegar; 0.5 tablespoon honey; 7.5 g butter; 0.25 tablespoon orange liqueur; thyme; 125 ml water

Step by step process

Preparation

1
Start your duck breast with orange sauce by preparing the meat. Score the skin on the duck breasts in a crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut into the meat. Pat the breasts dry, season them with salt and pepper on both sides and let them rest for about 10 minutes at room temperature.
2
Peel thin strips of zest from one orange without the white pith and cut them into a fine julienne. Place the strips of zest in a pot, cover them with boiling water and simmer briefly. Drain them to soften their bitterness and set the blanched zest aside.

Roasting and sauce

3
Place a cold pan with the duck breasts skin side down over medium heat. Render them slowly for 8 to 10 minutes, until the skin turns golden and crisp. Then turn them over, sear the other side for 2 minutes and transfer them to a tray in an oven preheated to 180 °C for about 6 to 8 minutes until pink inside.
4
Pour the excess fat off the pan and return it to the heat. Melt the sugar dry to an amber caramel, carefully pour in the wine vinegar and let it sizzle. This step is called deglazing and releases all the flavour from the pan.
5
Into the caramel pour the orange juice, the juice squeezed from the remaining oranges and the chicken stock. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it reduce by roughly half, until it thickens nicely and starts to shine.
6
Take the finished sauce off the heat and whisk in the cold butter piece by piece, so it gains a silky gloss. Season it with honey and a drop of orange liqueur, stir in the blanched zest and add salt to taste.

Serving

7
Slice the rested duck breasts diagonally into slices. Arrange them on plates, pour the warm orange sauce over them and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme. Serve immediately with mashed potatoes or sautéed vegetables.